Table of contentsIntroductionSome forgottenPoor experiences of veterans in exilePhysiological challenges after the warLack of equal opportunities in employment and educationLand ownership and housingPoverty and neglect of children of veterans fightersUnknown identity of the CLSConclusionIntroductionThe veterans joined the liberation struggle around the 1960s; they hoped to achieve change for the country Namibia. Changes were happening in many African countries to liberate countries from colonialism, so most participants in the liberation were volunteer fighters. Namibia led a liberation struggle against German colonial occupation from 1884 to 1914 and against South African colonial occupation from 1915 to 1990. Namibia gained independence on March 21, 1990 and was the last colony of the southern region to obtain its independence. Namibia's independence was achieved through a peace agreement concluded by the United Nations (UN) and the elections were won by the South West African People's Organization (SWAPO), which formed a movement of liberation (Paul 2003). But before independence, the Namibian people had to struggle to achieve this freedom and as a result, many ex-combatants and children of the Liberation Struggle (CLS) were significantly affected. This essay seeks to highlight how the veterans and children of the liberation struggle were not treated fairly in the country and some of the things they had to do during the war and how it affected them. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why violent video games should not be banned”? Get the original essay Veterans and CLS encounter death, life in refugee camps, trauma, and life in exile up close. The war was fought by men and women and many people died in the fighting. Some good examples are the incident that occurred during the attack on the Cassinga camp in 1978, the battle of Omatemba in 1982 and the well-known battles of Quito Cunavale, Mavinga and Cahama which took place in 1987, where many lives Namibian islands were lost (Metsola 2010). And such events have psychological effects on children during their experience of life in exile. In war situations, children are exposed to traumatic circumstances that have long-term psychological effects, even into adulthood. Some experiences of war are unexpected violent deaths, victims of acts of violence such as rape, witnesses to acts of violence, separation from parents, and displacement. Refugee camps are often crowded environments where people are restricted in their freedom of movement and have fled their home countries because of war. Namibian CLS who were born or raised in refugee camps definitely grew up in vulnerable circumstances that made them physically, emotionally vulnerable. , and psychological damage. These refugee camps have also made refugees an easy target for attacks from enemies across borders. As for the Namibians in exile, the Cassinga massacre of May 4, 1978 left more than 800 dead out of the 3,000 occupants in the refugee camp in Angola (Chris 1999). In addition, many parents were also frequently absent from their children's lives during exile because they were fighting or leaving for studies or other missions. Some CLS have never had the opportunity to see their parents often. Finally, the absence of parents has led the majority of Namibian CLS to be raised by guardians in different homes and by other adults in the community to whom parents havegiven custody of their children (Conway, 2003).Challenges faced after the war.Some forgottenSome of the former freedom fighters feel forgotten and live in extreme poverty. Some people felt that when SWAPO leaders took power, they forgot about them to the point that some people were denied veteran status. During the war, there were veterans who were infantrymen and a group of senior veterans who had been political prisoners, political leaders or commanders. Others played crucial roles in diplomacy in negotiating Namibia's self-determination and mobilizing resources for the liberation movement. But after independence, instead of having a better life, some faced challenges such as poverty and government neglect, led by politicians who had spent their youth fighting against inequality and injustice. Finally, some women war veterans were happy to have participated in the front lines of battle, but when they returned home after independence, it seemed that no one knew who they were, although they had been at the alongside their male counterparts during the war (Haufiku 2014). .Poor registration of exiled veterans There was poor registration of exiled veterans and this can be seen by the fact that the Department of Veterans Affairs is now trying to verify what happened to the deceased and missing people by interviewing their families . what had happened to their missing loved ones. Families probably only have assumptions about what they think happened. The liberation movement must answer these questions (Coetzer 2011). Physiological challenges after the war Many veterans still found it difficult to forget all the violence of the war, the fighting, the deaths of other veterans and the loneliness of be separated from their families. Reports of their comrades' deaths after the war haunted them, due to the lack of clarity about the causes of their deaths. They did not know if the deaths were natural or due to the war. They were also unable to properly mourn the loss of life during the war (Metsola 2010). This was not the case when their children applied for a scholarship, they were told to contact the Namibian Students Fund administration. When they went there, they were told they did not meet the criteria to receive aid, despite the fact that their children had acceptance letters from foreign higher education institutions where they wanted to study domains (Harring 2009). Once the war was over, they won the war, the veterans were back home, they had to face the reality: they had to find a job to support themselves and their families, and unfortunately all the veterans Fighters did not find favor in the private or public sector, because some of them lacked formal qualifications because they had fought during their youth. Some veterans were employed while others were unable to find employment, placing a huge burden on the relatives who supported their return (Amoo 2009). Land Ownership and Housing Veterans went to war to fight against colonial rulers and reclaim their land. , however, even after independence; they still had no land to settle on. The government has not done enough to resolve the land problem and enable ex-combatants to obtain land, both in communal areas and.